911SC Shifter

fred cook · fred cook's Garage

The weld at the base of my shifter handle has failed meaning that I will have to disassemble the shifter mechanism to have it rewelded. Should I go ahead and install the Porsche short shift kit while I have it apart?

Thanks,

doug_porsche · 04-24-2008, 08:02 AM

Personal Preference.

When I installed a short shifter on my 915 box it changed the throw length from "you have to be kidding" down to a throw of "wait, your serious, this is a short shifter?".

Now to put that in proper reference, my other car is a Honda S2000.

I would never go back to the original long throw shifter, but I would love a "modern" technology transmission in the Pcar.

your millage may vary.
Doug

Hetmann · 04-24-2008, 08:21 AM

Same thing happened on mine, epoxy joint failed. I went with the Weltmeister short shift kit and that was a mistake. I have the factory short shift now and am much happier. I like it better than the original long throw.

JPay · 04-24-2008, 10:23 AM

Fred -

I just converted my '83 SC to the factroy short shifter and would agree with the others responding, it's a real improvement over the stock shifter. Easy ninstallation.too.

911pcars · 04-24-2008, 10:32 AM

The shift lever has two pieces, and both factory or aftermarket short shift levers are glued. If you replace one with another, you'll have the same situation (maybe newer glue). I'd suggest tack welding so the lever doesn't separate when you want to do something important while driving.

Here's a link to review:
http://seinesystems.com/ShiftHousBluPrint.htm

Sherwood

Greek55 · 04-24-2008, 10:55 AM

Faactory short shifter is an improvement. It is a noticable shorter throw. You will shift faster which can make the 1st to 2nd shift sometimes bind.

fred cook · fred cook's Garage

Well, soon, anyway. The Porsche short shift kit arrived yesterday from PelicanParts. Now all I have to do is find enough time to make the exchange. Thanks to everyone for their input on this choice.

Rot 911 · 05-02-2008, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 911pcars

The shift lever has two pieces, and both factory or aftermarket short shift levers are glued. If you replace one with another, you'll have the same situation (maybe newer glue). I'd suggest tack welding so the lever doesn't separate when you want to do something important while driving.

Here's a link to review:
http://seinesystems.com/ShiftHousBluPrint.htm

Sherwood

Agreed, tack weld the new one.

fred cook · fred cook's Garage

Would it be better to weld or drill and insert a roll pin?

Flatoutski · 05-02-2008, 11:46 AM

Fred, this take the load (remove slop if glue joint fails) in one axis only. It would be free to pivot at the axis of the pin. If 2 pins were installed at 90 degrees, the two parts would be locked together, but I don't know if there is room for both.
Greg

fred cook · fred cook's Garage

I removed the shifter assembly from my SC last night and installed the new Porsche short shift kit. One problem that I encountered was that the main pivot pin that goes through the rectangular bracket and shift lever was too large in diameter. It would not fit through either the bracket or the shifter. Rather than opening the mounting holes, I tried the original pin and found that it was a good fit so I used the old pin. I found that by carefully pressing the roll pin that the bracket pivots on almost flush that I could assemble the bracket, shifter, pin and clips and then lower the assembly into the housing. When recompressing the two springs, I put a small allen wrench thru the top plate to act as a guide to help the springs compress without trying to kink or slide out of place. Once I got the two retaining nuts started, I pulled the allen wrenches out and finished compressing the springs. I reinstalled the shifter assembly and found that the shift motion is indeed much shorter! Now all that is left is to reassemble the console and go for a test drive!

cashflyer · 05-05-2008, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hetmann

I went with the Weltmeister short shift kit and that was a mistake.

What did you not like about the Weltmeister?

Hetmann · 05-05-2008, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cashflyer

What did you not like about the Weltmeister?

I really liked it at first, but it was too short both front to back and side to side. You have to be very careful with it. The thing I did not like was the $1200 repair I had to do to my 915 when I somehow selected to gears simultaneously.

YMMV

fred cook · fred cook's Garage

First drive today with the new Porsche short shift kit installed. While it is a little stiffer going into gear, I like the shorter throw. The spacing between 2nd and 3rd and 4th and 5th is almost the same as before. Makes for a really nice shifter. This is a good upgrade!

fred cook · fred cook's Garage

With the Porsche short shift kit installed in my SC, the shifter has some side to side play between the 1/2 and 3/4 positions. I am thinking of putting a little spring pressure on the shift lever mounting bracket so that it takes a small amount of hand pressure to move left to select 1st or 2nd gear. This would let the lever "automatically" align for shifting into 3rd or 4th. So far I have thought of two ways to do this. The first way would be to use a co-axially mounted spring between the housing and the bracket that the shift handle mounts in. The second way would be to use a regular coil spring with a small guide pin between the housing and the right side of the shift handle base bracket. What do you guys (and gals) think?

Pazuzu · 05-23-2008, 02:10 PM

1) That stiff roll pin might be a good thing to keep around. I too installed the FSS this past weekend, and the roll pin I got was also very tight. I froze it and with some persuasion, it was able to be used. I assumed that my old pin, which was quite loose, was worn down, contibuting to the shifting problems I had. The new pin, being tight, should help that...so, maybe keep it around for the next time you have an urge to putter around the interior...

2) The 6mm hex bolt that holds the shifter cage from the front is used to tighten that left right motion between the 1/2 and 3/4 lanes. Give it a slight tweak while sitting in the seat, until you like the lateral stiffness, then tighten the 22mm locknut around it.

Now, after rereading your final post, it seems that you want some more gate action, but if you're just not happy with how sloppy the lateral movement is, then consider the above adjustment...

911pcars · 05-23-2008, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fred cook

With the Porsche short shift kit installed in my SC, the shifter has some side to side play between the 1/2 and 3/4 positions. I am thinking of putting a little spring pressure on the shift lever mounting bracket so that it takes a small amount of hand pressure to move left to select 1st or 2nd gear. This would let the lever "automatically" align for shifting into 3rd or 4th. So far I have thought of two ways to do this. The first way would be to use a co-axially mounted spring between the housing and the bracket that the shift handle mounts in. The second way would be to use a regular coil spring with a small guide pin between the housing and the right side of the shift handle base bracket. What do you guys (and gals) think?

Fred,
Uhhh.... one solution.

There are DIY solutions as well in the archives.

Sherwood
www.SeineSystems.com

fred cook · fred cook's Garage

Thanks for the replies. Both offer positive suggestions. With the shift kit installed, I don't feel any "sloppy" play, rather simply would like a little more of a "gate" feel. I would like the shifter to require just a little "push" to move into the 1st/2nd plane so that it would make a natural move to the 3rd/4th plane when coming out of 2nd gear going to 3rd gear. If I decide to pursue this I will take pictures of my solution. Thanks all.